UOB Plaza
Plaza Two: | top_floor = | floor_count = Plaza One: 66 Plaza Two: 38 | elevator_count = | cost = | floor_area = Plaza One: | architect = Kenzo Tange Associates Architects 61 Architects Team 3 | structural_engineer= Arup | main_contractor = Nishimatsu Construction Lum Chang JV | developer = United Overseas Bank | owner = United Overseas Bank | management = United Overseas Bank Property Management | references = }} United Overseas Bank Plaza (UOB Plaza) (Chinese: 大华银行大厦) is a complex with twin tower late-modernist skyscrapers in the city of Singapore. UOB Plaza One is one of the three tallest in the city, sharing the title with the OUB Centre and Republic Plaza. UOB Plaza Two is the shorter and older building with construction completed in 1973 and later renovated in 1995 with a similar facade as UOB Plaza One. Both buildings are connected by a podium supported by four columns. The podium houses the banking hall of the United Overseas Bank's main branch. The building was opened by then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1995 which is 60 years after United Overseas Bank's founding. UOB Plaza One UOB Plaza One is a building with 67 floors, and was completed in 1992. It is the headquarters of the United Overseas Bank and major financial corporations such as UBS. On the 60th floor, there is a restaurant, Si Chuan Dou Hua. Its architecture is inspired by the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles. The basement of the building houses the Masjid Moulana Mohd Ali mosque, which is run by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). This mosque is the first in the Raffles Place district and is unique due to the mosque being located underground. This peculiarity has stirred controversy because to some Muslims, it is not good because it is located "in the bowels" of the earth. UOB Plaza Two UOB Plaza Two is a building with 38 floors and was completed in 1973 with the building reconstructed again in 1995. The building was formerly the Bonham Building which housed the United Chinese Bank (now the United Overseas Bank) which changed its name to its current name in 1965, and the three-storey building was demolished to construct the 30-story building. Architecture The towers have an octagonal base and consists of rotated cubic volumes, which is a distinctive stylistic expression of Kenzo Tange's works in the 1990s. The cubic volumes on the octagonal base, they rotate on a 45 degree plane of reference and diminish in volume towards the top of UOB Plaza One. A six storey podium links the two buildings together and skillfully accommodates the reconstructed UOB Building (now UOB Plaza 2). This place is a large airy atrium linking Raffles Place to Singapore River without entering the building. The banking hall has full height glass walls to see through the Singapore River from the financial district. The change in lighting brings out the geometric qualities of the building's architecture, highlighting the buildings with shafts of light and shadow. The external curtain wall system of the building represents a significant and innovative contribution of the evolution of building facades over time. The "performance wall" envelope of the towers is a composite of white and grey granite and insulated grey glass units. The atrium is also known as a "city room" and above it has a large office space and a large skylight, which gives the place natural lighting. A double storey sky lobby could be found on the 37th and 38th floors, which provide panoramic views of the city. It is also used for workers to transfer lifts from the lower floors to the higher floors. However, the sky lobby has been closed to the public due to security reasons after the September 11, 2001 attacks. There are two sculptures on the ground floor; [Homage To Newton by Salvador Dalí in the city room, and the another designed by Fernando Botero. See also * Tallest buildings in Singapore References Further reading *' External links Category:Downtown Core (Singapore) Category:Office buildings completed in 1974 Category:Office buildings completed in 1992 Category:Office buildings in Singapore Category:Raffles Place Category:Skyscrapers in Singapore Category:Skyscrapers between 150 and 199 meters Category:Skyscrapers between 250 and 299 meters